I Am Smarter Than I Look

I am the middle of 3 daughters. My Dad is quite a nosey person by nature. My Mother once told me that while she and Dad were dating ( or whatever the ancient equivalent to that word was back in their day) her soon to be Mother-in-Law warned her of his nosiness. She went so far as to tell my Mom that if you try and hide something from him, he will find it. Better to be up front with him at all times.
 
That being established, I didn't move out of my Parent's home till way past the national average. ( Another post topic entirely) It was common place for all of the inhabitants of our home to weekly take their trash to the  big trash container located in the garage. It was then Dad’s job to make sure the trash got out for collection. One Saturday, after I had already emptied my trash into the garage receptacle, I went back into the garage for something. I discovered my Dad going meticulously through the bag I had deposited there. I quietly watched while he rummaged through the entire contents finding nothing worth keeping. Naturally I was offended. But it didn't take long for me to see how often he did this. So what I did from that day on was to leave notes in my trash for him to find. Things like: " sorry Dad! Nothing in this bag, try again real soon" or " not much to see in this bag, Dad". You get the point. I did this sporadically for a few months. He never mentioned finding the notes and I never asked him why he was going through my trash.
 
Fast forward to me finally leaving the Nest. I am making preparations to leave for a good job opportunity I am moving 3 States away. My Dad asked me if I wanted anything for a going away/housewarming gift I told him a stocked tool box would be a great idea. So I have now moved to my new place. I am pretty relaxed about unpacking everything I own right away. In fact  I envy those who are unpacked and settled within 12 hours of moving to a new place. That being said, it took me a week or so to use the tool box. When I opened it up and lifted out the tray I found hundreds of my trash notes bundled together with a letter from my Dad on top. The letter was an apology for not trusting me and a thanks to me for indulging his curiosity. The letter went on to say that he was real proud of the way I turned out and that he was well aware of the fact that if I were to do something he may disapprove of I certainly would have disposed of the evidence away from the house. I am  smarter than I look.
 
Takes one to know one, Dad